14 Girl Power Mantras To Adopt From The Women Of Shondaland

We all have idols and people we look up to, and the reasons we idolize them can vary from one person to the next. Shonda Rhimes has been a force in the television world since she launched the very successful "Grey's Anatomy."

Her characters show qualities all young women should look up to and strive to embody. They are strong and determined. They don't stop until they get what they want and have succeeded.

On and off the screen, Shonda Rhimes, her characters and the leading ladies portraying them have given us successful female role models that inspire us every week. In honor of Women's History Month, here are 14 Shondaland quotes that will have you feeling empowered:

Don't let fear keep you quiet. You have a voice, so use it. Speak up. Raise your hands. Shout your answers. Make yourself heard. Whatever it takes, just find your voice, and when you do, fill the damn silence.

I am not a toy you can play with when you're bored, or lonely, or horny. I am not the girl the guy gets at the end of the movie. I am not a fantasy. If you want me, earn me.

— Olivia Pope, "Scandal"

I was thinking I would keep waiting for life to get easier. You know, lower stakes, less risk, easier. And I was thinking, maybe it doesn't. Maybe the struggle, the climb, one obstacle after another... maybe that's just life.

— Addison Montgomery, "Private Practice"

Have some fire. Be unstoppable. Be a force of nature. Be better than anyone here, and don't give a damn what anyone thinks. There are no teams here, no buddies. You're on your own. Be on your own.

— Cristina Yang, "Grey's Anatomy"

Think carefully. Everything after this moment will not only determine your career, but life. You can spend it in a corporate office drafting contracts and hitting on chubby paralegals before finally putting a gun in your mouth, or you can join my firm and become someone you actually like. So decide: Do you want the job or not?

— Annalise Keating, "How to Get Away With Murder"

I realized that I don't have to be perfect. All I have to do is show up and enjoy the messy, imperfect and beautiful journey of my life.

— Kerry Washington

Dreams are lovely, but they are just dreams. Fleeting, ephemeral, pretty. But dreams do not come true just because you dream them. It's hard work that makes things happen. It's hard work that creates change.

— Shonda Rhimes

At some point you have to make a decision. Boundaries don't keep other people out. They fence you in. Life is messy. That's how we're made. So, you can waste your lives drawing lines, or you can live your life crossing them.

— Meredith Grey, "Grey's Anatomy"

I'm choosing me. Now you can dance with me, or get off my dance floor. I am fine dancing alone.

— Olivia Pope, "Scandal"

Don't let what he wants eclipse what you need. He's very dreamy, but he is not the sun. You are.

— Cristina Yang, "Grey's Anatomy"

I am the sun, and he can go suck it.

— Meredith Grey, "Grey's Anatomy"

If you want crappy things to stop happening to you, then stop accepting crap and demand something more.

— Cristina Yang,"Grey's Anatomy"

Maybe you know exactly what it is you dream of being, or maybe you're paralyzed because you have no idea what your passion is. The truth is, it doesn't matter. You don't have to know. You just have to keep moving forward. You just have to keep doing something, seizing the next opportunity, staying open to trying something new.

— Shonda Rhimes

Work for what you want, and you can be a surgeon like Meredith Grey, a controller like Olivia Pope and a lawyer like Annalise Keating. Don't stop until your dream is your reality. Be a doer, not a dreamer.